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The impeachers : the of trial of Andrew Johnson and the dream of a just nation / Brenda Wineapple.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York : Random House, [2019]Edition: First editionDescription: xxix, 543 pages : illustrations ; 25 cmContent type:
  • text
  • still image
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9780812998368
  • 0812998367
Subject(s):
Contents:
Mars -- Magnificent intentions -- The accidental president -- Moses -- The South victorious -- Not a 'white man's government' -- Reconciliation -- Civil rights -- Mutual concessions, mutual hostilities -- Andy's swing around the circle -- Resistance -- Tenure of office -- A revolutionary period -- The Rubicon is crossed -- The president's message -- A blundering, roaring lear -- Striking at a king -- Impeachment -- The high court -- All the president's men -- The trial, first round -- The trial -- The beginning of the end -- Cankered and crude -- The demented Moses of Tennessee -- The crowning struggle -- The cease of majesty -- Let us have peace -- Human rights.
Summary: "When Lincoln was assassinated and Andrew Johnson became President, a fraught time in America became perilous. Congress was divided over how Reconstruction should be accomplished and the question of black suffrage. The South roiled with violence, lawlessness, and efforts to preserve the pre-Civil War society. Andrew Johnson--chosen as Vice President for electability, because he was a Southern Democrat--had no interest in following Lincoln's agenda. With the unchecked power of executive orders, Johnson pardoned the rebel states and their leaders, opposed black suffrage, and called Reconstruction unnecessary. Congress decided to take action against a President who acted like a king. With extensive research and profound insights, Brenda Wineapple makes this overlooked historical period come alive with important new insights. The impeachment--the first in American history--was the last-ditch, patriotic effort make the goals of the Civil War a reality, and to make the Union one again"-- Provided by publisher.
Fiction notes: Click to open in new window
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library NonFiction 973.8109 W767 Available 33111009163029
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

"This absorbing and important book recounts the titanic struggle over the implications of the Civil War amid the impeachment of a defiant and temperamentally erratic American president."-Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Soul of America

When Abraham Lincoln was assassinated and Vice-President Andrew Johnson became "the Accidental President," it was a dangerous time in America. Congress was divided over how the Union should be reunited- when and how the secessionist South should regain full status, whether former Confederates should be punished, and when and whether black men should be given the vote. Devastated by war and resorting to violence, many white Southerners hoped to restore a pre-Civil War society, if without slavery, and the pugnacious Andrew Johnson seemed to share their goals. With the unchecked power of executive orders, Johnson ignored Congress, pardoned rebel leaders, promoted white supremacy, opposed civil rights, and called Reconstruction unnecessary. It fell to Congress to stop the American president who acted like a king.

With profound insights and making use of extensive research, Brenda Wineapple dramatically evokes this pivotal period in American history, when the country was rocked by the first-ever impeachment of a sitting American president. And she brings to vivid life the extraordinary characters who brought that impeachment forward- the willful Johnson and his retinue of advocates-including complicated men like Secretary of State William Seward-as well as the equally complicated visionaries committed to justice and equality for all, like Thaddeus Stevens, Charles Sumner, Frederick Douglass, and Ulysses S. Grant. Theirs was a last-ditch, patriotic, and Constitutional effort to render the goals of the Civil War into reality and to make the Union free, fair, and whole.

Praise for The Impeachers

"In this superbly lyrical work, Brenda Wineapple has plugged a glaring hole in our historical memory through her vivid and sweeping portrayal of President Andrew Johnson's 1868 impeachment. She serves up not simply food for thought but a veritable feast of observations on that most trying decision for a democracy- whether to oust a sitting president. Teeming with fiery passions and unforgettable characters, The Impeachers will be devoured by contemporary readers seeking enlightenment on this issue. . . . A landmark study." -Ron Chernow, Pulitzer Prize-winningauthor of Grant

"When Lincoln was assassinated and Andrew Johnson became President, a fraught time in America became perilous. Congress was divided over how Reconstruction should be accomplished and the question of black suffrage. The South roiled with violence, lawlessness, and efforts to preserve the pre-Civil War society. Andrew Johnson--chosen as Vice President for electability, because he was a Southern Democrat--had no interest in following Lincoln's agenda. With the unchecked power of executive orders, Johnson pardoned the rebel states and their leaders, opposed black suffrage, and called Reconstruction unnecessary. Congress decided to take action against a President who acted like a king. With extensive research and profound insights, Brenda Wineapple makes this overlooked historical period come alive with important new insights. The impeachment--the first in American history--was the last-ditch, patriotic effort make the goals of the Civil War a reality, and to make the Union one again"-- Provided by publisher.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [501]-514) and index.

Mars -- Magnificent intentions -- The accidental president -- Moses -- The South victorious -- Not a 'white man's government' -- Reconciliation -- Civil rights -- Mutual concessions, mutual hostilities -- Andy's swing around the circle -- Resistance -- Tenure of office -- A revolutionary period -- The Rubicon is crossed -- The president's message -- A blundering, roaring lear -- Striking at a king -- Impeachment -- The high court -- All the president's men -- The trial, first round -- The trial -- The beginning of the end -- Cankered and crude -- The demented Moses of Tennessee -- The crowning struggle -- The cease of majesty -- Let us have peace -- Human rights.

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